Page 13 of Royally Wed
CHAPTER
FOUR
On his second morning in England, while Asher drifted in that hazy place between sleep and wakefulness, he thought he felt a suffocating weight on his chest.
But then he opened his eyes and found two bright, copper-colored eyes staring down at him and realized the weight was very much real. Real, and covered in fur.
“Hello there,” Asher muttered.
The corgi on his chest respondedwith only a cold stare. Its breath was horrendous. What on earth did the palace feed the queen’s dogs?
Better yet, how had the creature ended up in his room? On his bed. More specifically on hisbody.
“Seriously, you weigh a ton. Hop off now.” Was it normal for corgis to be so heavy? They looked so small on the ground.
The dog made a snorting sound and shifted, so instead of standing on Asher’schest, it was lying down with its chin propped on its paws. It sighed and closed its eyes. Within seconds it was snoring, still planted squarely atop Asher’s sternum.
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
Asher gave the dog a gentle poke and hoped he wasn’t breaking some kind of law against harassing the royal corgis. The animal didn’t budge. Asher tried to nudge it to the side, but his efforts were metwith a snarl.
Marvelous.
The button to summon the royal page was situated above the nightstand, just out of reach. Asher eyed it longingly.
“James?” he called, hoping the page was still stationed right outside the room.
The dog on his chest opened its eyes to narrow slits. Asher was starting to get a distinct Cujo vibe.
He gave yelling another go. “James? Are you there?”
The door to Asher’sroom slowly swung open. “You rang?”
But the person standing in the doorway wasn’t a servant. It was the princess.
Asher folded his hands behind his head and leaned against the headboard as he met her gaze. “No, I didn’t. But it’s nice to see you. Good morning.”
She glanced at the corgi and lifted a brow.
“Fine. I might have called for assistance. But I was calling for the page.” He’d neverconsidered the princess would come strolling into his room. Did other palace guests get this sort of royal treatment?
Somehow he doubted it.
She nodded, and her bow-shaped lips twitched. Asher could tell she was trying not to laugh. Not that he blamed her. “He stepped away. Lucky for you, I was walking past your room when I heard you screaming in terror.”
“I was hardly screaming, and I’m notterrorized.” He should’ve risked getting bitten and given the dog another good heave. But it was the queen of England’s dog, for God’s sake.
And Asher had noticed surveillance cameras positioned discreetly in the palace hallways. He wouldn’t have been surprised if there was one planted somewhere in the Blue Room. The last thing he needed was to be caught on camera shoving one of the queen’s belovedpets.
“If you say so.” She shrugged an elegant shoulder, drawing Asher’s attention to the fact that she was dressed in a silk kimono. Its deep aqua color brought out the jewel tones in her eyes.
Asher’s mind reeled. In what reality could he be having an impromptu pajama party with the princess of England?
This one, apparently.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he asked as a giggle escapedher lush mouth.
She nodded. “Quite a bit, yes.”
